This paper was my second essay for Dr. Ryan Shirey’s WRI 341: Writing Center Pedagogy course. This course still ranks as one of the most work intensive courses I have had at Wake Forest. On top of a heavy homework load, students were expected to complete a Tutoring Journal that required many hours of session observations and peer-tutoring. This assignment reflected that rigor. I was tasked with comparing two college writing handbooks and the advice that they offered. This was to be a four to five page rhetorical analysis aimed at those interested in using these texts in the classroom. The body of available research was limited to course materials and the handbooks themselves. I find that my writing style in this piece is very formal and academic. I had just completed Dr. Shirey’s WRI 210: Academic Research and Writing course in the semester before this and so perhaps I was still stuck in that mode.

I decided to compare Andrea A. Lunsford’s EasyWriter and Joseph M. Williams & Joseph Bizup’s Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace. These texts ended up fitting this assignment well because they offered advice on similar topics but often in different ways. A large portion of my argument centered around the advice that the authors provided on concision. Williams & Bizup discussed concision with a suggestive tone that did not draw narrow distinctions between right and wrong. Lunsford, on the other hand, stressed the importance of concision and even went so far as to provide a list of words that should be used to replace wordy phrases. Upon reflection, I am happy with the level of text engagement that this essay contains. The arguments in this piece could not stand at all without this feature. This piece taught me that I am easily motivated to write when the subject matter is real, living, and easily applicable. These writing textbooks are actual resources that Wake Forest students use every day. This writing felt as if I was making a worthwhile evaluation that could help a professor determine how they should approach writing instruction in their classroom. I have learned that one of the best motivators for my writing endeavors is a clear sense of purpose. I am still in the throes of pushing myself to approach all life tasks with this knowledge.